Wild World: Crystal Skull Quiz

To some people, a crystal skull is simply an object carved from quartz crystal in the shape of a human skull. But to those that believe in the supernatural and the occult, they represent doom and destruction, hope and healing, or even a view into the past, present and future.

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Question 1 of 10

Crystal skulls are more than just quartz artifacts -- some believers say they also represent death and healing. Which of the following is not said to be emitted by crystal skulls?

sound

psychic energy

fire

Believers in the supernatural and occult testify that crystal skulls emit sound, psychic energy and auras -- but not fire.

Question 2 of 10

What ancient civilization supposedly left 13 Crystal skulls for modern society to find?

Greek

Mayan

The Mayan civilization's creation myths point to 13 crystal skulls being scattered and left for modern society to find and reunite.

Aztec

Question 3 of 10

There's no definitive meaning or history behind Crystal skulls. Which of the following theories isn't thought to explain the existence of crystal skulls?

They're relics of lost civilizations like Atlantis and Lemuria.

They're the actual skulls of Roman saints.

Among the many explanations for crystal skulls, they're not purported to be the actual skulls of Roman saints. Yet another very real explanation for crystal skulls is that they're fakes that were carved just a few hundred years ago -- mythical stories are attached to them so they'll sell for higher prices at auctions.

They were placed on Earth by aliens.

Question 4 of 10

Anna Mitchell-Hedges found a crystal skull in the mid-1920s. Where was the now infamous Mitchell-Hedges skull located?

buried within a tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings

covered by volcanic ash in the ruins of Pompeii

beneath a Mayan temple in Lubaatun

Anna said that she found the skull on her 17th birthday beneath the altar of a Mayan temple in Lubaatun, an ancient city in modern Belize.

Question 5 of 10

The Mayans are said to have told Anna that this crystal skull contained a special power. What kind of power did the Mitchell-Hedges skull posses?

It brought the dead back to life.

It willed death.

The Mitchell-Hedges skull was reported to will death. Specifically, it was used to transfer the knowledge from elderly priests into their successors. After this transaction took place, the old priest would die.

It conveyed messages from the gods.

Question 6 of 10

In 1898, from whom did the British Museum purchase its crystal skull?

Smithsonian

Sotheby's

Tiffany & Co.

Perhaps it's better known for its diamonds and fine jewelry, but in 1898, Tiffany & Co. sold the British Museum a crystal skull. Tiffany's acquired the skull from French art dealer Eugène Boban.

Question 7 of 10

How did the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History acquire its own crystal skull?

The wealthy benefactor Harold W. McGrew donated it in 1935.

It mysteriously arrived in the mail in 1992.

In 1992, a package bearing a 30-pound crystal skull arrived at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. It was sent anonymously with a note that explained it was purchased in Mexico City in 1960.

It bought the skull from the Musée de l'Homme in Paris in 1878.

Question 8 of 10

Art historian Frank Dorland turned to whom for help analyzing the Mitchell-Hedges skull?

Hewlett-Packard Laboratories

Dorland enlisted the help of Hewlett-Packard Laboratories to learn more about the skull's composition. While Hewlett-Packard has no record of tests performed with the skull, Dorland reported that they confirmed the skull was made of quartz crystal and that it was carved from a single piece of quartz.

Harvard Department of Anthropology

Sotheby's London

Question 9 of 10

In 1980, what did gem expert Allan Jobbins say to disprove Anna Mitchell-Hedge's claims about her crystal skull?

The skull was a fake -- it was made from glass, not crystal.

The axes of skull proved that it was an amateur replica of a crystal skull.

The crystal with which the skull was made came from Brazil, a country where Mayans weren't known to live.

When Jobbins and Mitchell-Hedges appeared together on the TV show 'Mysterious World,' the expert stated that the crystal with which the skull was made came from Brazil -- not only were the Mayans never thought to inhabit Brazil, it appeared that the skull wasn't as ancient as Anna claimed. It was probably made around the 1700s.

Question 10 of 10

Anthropologist Jane Walsh took the Smithsonian's crystal skull to the British Museum in 2005 to examine it under an electron-scanning microscope. What did she conclude?

It was probably a sacred artifact -- it showed no evidence of man-made construction, modern or ancient.

It was probably made with ancient tools.

It was probably made with modern machinery.

Under the microscope, Walsh saw neat rows of arcs -- not the rough, uneven strokes that would've been caused by ancient tools. She concluded that the skull was likely made with 'modern coated lapidary wheels using industrial diamonds.'